


Parachute

by bfketh



Series: At Your Service [5]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eren Is in College But This Is More of a Workplace AU, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Maids, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 20:59:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1756889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bfketh/pseuds/bfketh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A disadvantage of running a business in a college town is having to put up with stupid college kids. Eren Jaeger is loud, obnoxious, filthy, and prone to flying off the handle half-cocked. Levi is certain that if he has to spend one more minute with his new hire, one of them is going to end up dead. At this point, he doesn't really care which one it is.</p><p>A disadvantage of being a college student is that you're constantly broke. Levi is cold, abrasive, a clean freak, and unfairly attractive (the latter of which makes it really hard for Eren to remember that he's supposed to be annoyed with the guy). Eren is certain that if he has to spend one more minute with his new boss, he is going to die. At this point, he's not really sure if that's a bad thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Instability

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next will deal with Levi's backstory, a prequel to the main story.
> 
> TW for mentions of domestic violence and abuse.

If you asked him, Levi wouldn't say he came from a broken home.

After all, "broken" implied that there had been something whole to start with. That there was something there to put back together again.

His mother wasn't a bad person; she wasn't. But you don't really have a lot of options when you're seventeen and knocked up by your loser, 20-something stoner boyfriend and your parents kick you out of the house because you refuse to get "it" "taken care of". You have even fewer options when said loser boyfriend pulls a disappearing act instead of facing the responsibilities of being a father.

So, you shack up with another loser man-child, get a job at a shitty fast-food restaurant because that's the only place that will hire you without a high school diploma, and work literally until the day you go into labor while he lays his lazy ass on the couch all afternoon, getting stoned and collecting government assistance.

Within two years, he was gone. The couch was still there, though.

But it never stayed empty for very long.

Whether it was out of loneliness or a sincere belief that she couldn't manage on her own (even though that was essentially what she was doing 90% of the time), Levi's mom never went for very long without a boyfriend. It didn't seem to matter if they were kind, or controlling, or abusive, or apathetic, as long as they were _there_. Other kids at school grew up with a Mom and a Dad. Levi had a Mom and an ever-changing parade of Steve or Tom or Frank (later recategorized in his mind to Asshole or Shithead or Fuckface).

Levi liked it best when it was just him and his mom. She'd let him sleep in her bed (their tiny apartment only had one bedroom), and, when she wasn't at work, he'd follow her around the house, helping her clean and watching her cook. She seemed happier then, standing at the sink and humming as sunlight pooled around her long black hair.

But, eventually, a new guy would move in and Levi would go back to sleeping on the pull-out couch. Gradually, his mom would smile less and stop singing. Sometimes, she'd cry. Sometimes, she'd have bruises. Levi pretended he didn't notice the fighting. He didn't want her to worry about him.

One night, he couldn't pretend any longer.

It was shortly after he'd turned eight, and his Mom's latest boyfriend (Levi couldn't remember now what his name had been, K-something) had stumbled in drunk at three in the morning. He tripped over the edge of Levi's "bed" and started to scream at him for it. Levi's mom had come out of her bedroom just in time to see him backhand Levi across the face, and she quickly placed herself between them, telling Levi to go into her room. He'd hesitated, and she'd screamed at him to just go as she tried to hold the enraged man back. So, he'd went, shutting the door behind him.

It didn't do much to block the sounds of the fight.

At first he was okay. The screaming, the sound of a slap, breaking glass, those were familiar; he could deal with that. It was when he heard the distinct sound of a fist hitting flesh, accompanied by a sickening crunch and the abrupt _stop_ of the screaming, that Levi became truly frightened and used the phone on the nightstand to quietly dial 911.

The night ended with the boyfriend in jail, Levi's mom in the hospital with a concussion, internal bleeding, and a broken jaw, and Levi shivering in a hospital waiting room while a string of men, first in police uniforms and then in suits, tried to coax his story out of him.

The next day, different men in suits bundled him off to a foster home. They'd contacted his grandparents first, but they'd adamantly refused to let "street trash" into their house. They hadn't been able to contact his father's side of the family at all. It was only supposed to be temporary, just until his mother got out of the hospital, but when she'd refused to press charges against the man that had nearly killed her, Family Services had stepped in and declared her home "unfit." Just like that, Levi became a ward of the state.

For the next five years, he was bounced around from foster family to foster family. Levi didn't really understand why he wasn't allowed to return home, when a lot of them were as bad, or worse, than what he’d left. Some of the families were neglectful, some were abusive, and even the ones who weren't were soon begging the social workers to take him back, claiming they couldn't handle him. Levi supposed that part of it was his fault; he already had a tendency to be withdrawn, and soon he became sullen on top of it and prone to occasional fits of violent outbursts. He just wanted to go home.

He said as much to Keith Shadis, the social worker assigned to his case. The man had picked Levi up that morning from the latest failed foster home, and that afternoon he’d be dropping him off with a new family.

Someone else to look at Levi like he was a problem that needed fixing.

Shadis sighed and ran a hand over his bald pate as his eyes flicked up from the thick file on his desk to the thirteen year old sitting slouched in a chair, picking at non-existent dirt on his faded jeans. Levi was short for his age and wiry, his straight black hair falling forward and obscuring his eyes as he focused on his knee.

“You know you can’t, Levi. You really need to stop fighting your foster families so much; they’re only trying to help you.”

“Help me?” Silver eyes shot up to glare at the man behind the desk. “Those last bastards would lock me in a fucking broom closet for hours at a time so I could ‘think about what I’d done.’” He raised his fingers up to make sarcastic air quotes. “I’m surprised I never got a bladder infection from holding my piss for so long.”

“I didn't mean the Harpers in particular, and we’re looking into that.” Levi snorted and rolled his eyes. Shadis ignored him and continued, “It’s getting harder to place you; there aren't very many families willing to take you in anymore after seeing your file.”

“No one wants me, big fucking surprise. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that eating makes people shit.” Levi crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away to stare out the window.

There was another heavy sigh from Shadis as he pulled a page out from the file. “The point is, Levi, you’re running out of options. I really had to fight to get you assigned to this new family; normally they just take temporary placements, but now that their son is older, Professor Smith said he’d take a kid on a more permanent basis. A lot of my co-workers,” he paused to make a noise of contempt, “thought that the spot should go to a ‘kid that deserves it, not someone that’s just going to end up in Juvie in a couple years.’” Levi didn't say anything, but his eyes locked on Shadis again, and his jaw noticeably clenched. Shadis nodded as if he was satisfied with what he saw, “I want you to at least give them a chance. This could be a good opportunity for you.”

Levi shrugged then stood, grabbing his single duffel bag of belongings as Shadis moved his paperwork to his briefcase. “Fine. If they’re terrible, I can just run away again.”

“You really need to stop doing that, Levi.”

A small smirk, “Always gets your attention.”

~~~~~

Levi's new foster father, Ethan Smith, was a Sociology professor at Sina University. His wife, Rose, chaired some sort of outreach program for disadvantaged youth. They had one son, Erwin, who was a couple years older than Levi and just finishing his freshman year of high school. After the introductions, Professor Smith told Erwin to show Levi up to his room. Levi shouldered his bag once more and followed the tall blond boy out while the adults stayed behind to talk with Shadis. He looked around curiously as he walked. They passed what looked like a living room, but they'd just _left_ the living room. Who the fuck needed _two_ living rooms? And the dining room looked like it could fit twenty people. As they climbed the stairs, Levi muttered, "This is a big ass house."

Erwin laughed a little, "Yeah. We have to keep a couple Sherpas on stand-by whenever Mom and Dad host a party in case any of the guests get lost."

"Oh, great," Levi rolled his eyes, "you think you're funny."

Erwin just laughed again before turning left at the top of the stairs and opening the second door on the right. "Here, this one's yours." He stepped aside to let Levi enter first.

Levi set his bag down on the floor and looked around. The room was painted in a soft cream color, and the carpet was a darker version of the same shade. There was good-sized bed against the wall opposite the door, under a window that looked out over a flower garden behind the house. Next to the bed, there was a writing desk under a second window. A tall dresser stood to the right of the hallway door, and there were two doors in the wall on the right-hand side of the room. One of them opened up into a small closet and the other...

"I have my own bathroom?"

Erwin nodded, "Yes. Sorry it only has a shower. If you want to take a bath, there's another bathroom in the hallway."

Levi raised an eyebrow, "Like I'd want to marinate in my own filthy ass-soup. Gross." He started to pull his clothes out, putting them away in the dresser and the closet.

Erwin watched him for a moment, "Is that all you have?"

"No, I'm Mary fucking Poppins. Give me five minutes and I'll start pulling lamps and shit out of this thing," he snapped.

Erwin had the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry. Uh, anyway, dinner's usually at seven, and we dress for it."

"I should fucking hope so."

"No, I mean we-"

"I knew what you meant, Christ. It was a joke." Levi grabbed his toiletries and put them in the bathroom before rolling up the empty duffel and putting it in the bottom of the closet. He turned back around. "Look, uh, Erwin. Don't take this the wrong way, but I've had a long-ass day. So could you kindly get the fuck out so I can take a nap?" Levi walked over and opened the door, raising one thin eyebrow as he craned his head to look up at Erwin.

The older boy smiled, "Sure. If you want some company later, I'll be down in the family room. We just got a Playstation; we could load up some games if you wanted."

"Family room?"

"We passed it on the way here; the room with the big TV in it."

"Oh. I thought that was another living room."

Erwin laughed, "It's the same thing, really. Well, I'll let you sleep. See you at dinner, Levi." He left, and Levi shut the door behind him. When he did, he noticed that there was a lock. On the _inside_. He stared at it for a moment before clicking it.

Levi sat down on the bed, still staring contemplatively at the door. He'd _never_ had a room with a lock before. At least, not on the inside. There'd been a few where there'd been locks on the _outside_. Or there'd been no door at all. Or he'd had to share a room, either with other foster children or with the family's own children. It was weird, but thanks to that one little bit of privacy, he actually felt like he had a space that belonged to him, and only him.

He laid down on the bed and stared up at his ceiling. _His_ ceiling in _his_ room. His mind wandered back to Erwin. Levi had been abrasive to him on purpose, testing to see what his reaction would be. He always tested new foster siblings, to see how bad their temper was and if he'd need to be cautious around them. The temperament of the kids usually also gave him a good idea of what the parents would be like, once Shadis was gone and they dropped their masks. It was a survival instinct by this point.

Erwin had been completely unruffled. Calm. It was a good sign. But it scared Levi for a different reason: it meant that it might actually hurt when he had to leave.

Levi rolled over on his side. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered how long it would be this time. How long it would be until the Smiths gave up on him, like everyone else had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't remember if a first name was ever given for Erwin's father in the manga. He looks like an Ethan to me, though, so Ethan it is.
> 
> You can find me at bfketh.tumblr.com


	2. In Stability

They didn't give up.

Ethan and Rose turned out to be amazingly patient with Levi's moods and various quirks, and proved themselves to be firm but fair, treating Levi no differently than their own son. Gradually, he started to improve, getting into fewer fights at school and raising his grades. The latter was thanks to a lot of tutoring help from Erwin. Although he still contended that algebra was a waste of time invented by old men to torture children. Erwin argued that he only thought it was a waste of time because math was his worst subject. Levi countered that, no, speech was his worst subject, fuck you very much, and algebra could just crawl back up Satan's sweaty ass-crack where it belonged.

Looking back, there were two things that Professor Smith did for him that he was the most grateful for: he got Levi to go into the therapy recommended by both his court-appointed evaluations and by Keith Shadis (although Levi himself resisted the sessions at first), and he arranged for Levi to see his mother for the first time in six years in a place that wasn't a courtroom. She would just visit the Smiths’ home for a few hours on the weekends, and Levi still wasn't able to go home with her, but just being able to speak with her and see that she was alright and see her smile during those brief visits did wonders to calm him down.

And so, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and Levi found himself quite firmly entrenched within the Smith household.

~~~~~

One morning, a few months after his arrival, Levi suddenly looked up at Erwin from across the kitchen table, "Okay, blondie, this has been driving me nuts. Why do you leave the house every Saturday dressed in your pajamas?"

Erwin paused, a spoon of cereal half-way to his mouth as a look of supreme confusion flitted over his face, "My pajamas? I'm not... You mean my gi?" He set his spoon back down, gesturing at the white uniform, "It's for judo. I have judo practice on Saturdays."

"Oh." Levi let a bored expression settle back over his face and went back to eating his own breakfast. One would have thought that he'd completely lost interest in the subject, but an astute observer might have noticed Levi shooting several brief glances over at Erwin through his eyelashes.

Ethan folded his newspaper and set it down on the table, "Did you want to go with him today, Levi?"

It was Levi's turn to pause in the middle of eating, "Huh?"

Ethan smiled, "Well, you seemed interested. You could observe the practice today, and, if you're still interested, I could sign you up for the classes."

Levi stared at him for a moment, eyes wide in surprise, before the corner of his lips twitched upward, "You know, pops, usually people are trying to get me to _stop_ fighting."

He didn't turn down the offer to tag along, however.

By that afternoon, he was placing a carefully folded gi of his own into the bottom drawer of his dresser.

~~~~~

When Erwin was a senior in high school, he got a girlfriend. Her name was Marie, and currently she was being pinned against the arm of the couch in the family room while Erwin seemed intent on examining her tonsils with his tongue.

At least she was, until a bright flash made them both freeze and stare wide-eyed at Levi as he grabbed the photo the Polaroid ejected.

He frowned at them, "Jesus fuck, other people have to use that couch; show some damn consideration." He stalked over to the couch and slapped Erwin's legs, "Move your fat ass over. I'm watching Labyrinth."

Erwin straightened up and put his feet down on the floor while Marie surreptitiously buttoned her blouse. He raised an eyebrow at Levi as the shorter boy flopped down on his other side, "Who says?"

"My blackmail material says. Now either shut the fuck up and watch David Bowie prance around in tights with me or take whatever the hell you were doing up to your bedroom."

Marie chirped, "I vote for David Bowie's tights!"

Levi nodded at her, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Don't I get any say in this?"

"Two-to-one, so no," Levi calmly replied as he used the remote to start the ancient VCR. As Erwin leaned back into the couch with an exaggerated sigh, Levi elbowed him, "Shut up. You're just jealous that the Goblin King has better eyebrows than you."

"If this turns into you trying to convince me to let you shave them again, I'm leaving."

~~~~~

After Erwin graduated, he enrolled into Sina University as an English Major and continued to live at his parents’ house. Two years later, Levi enrolled at the state University in Trost because the various scholarships and grants he qualified for would cover the cost of tuition and housing there. Professor Smith offered to cover the tuition difference for Sina, but Levi adamantly refused.

When he was standing in line at the admissions office, waiting to drop off some paperwork, he started to regret that decision.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Jesus fucking Christ, how long does it take to do a fucking name change?”

He watched as the tall, lanky brunette in glasses in front of him shuffled through her paperwork when the office worker asked for the same form for the third time. The student was still smiling, but Levi watched the corner of her eyebrow twitch. Every survival instinct he had started to scream at him that there was going to be something unpleasant happening, and soon.

Levi stepped up to the window and glared at the plump, middle-aged woman behind the desk, “Excuse me-“

“Please wait your turn, young man. This will only take a moment.”

“Bullshit. This _should_ only take a moment, but I've been standing here for twenty minutes. You’re being an obstinate old bitch on purpose; I've been constipated and had _shits_ that take less time than this.”

The woman’s face started to turn an interesting shade of red, “Now, listen here-“

“No, _you_ listen. She’s got every piece of paper you've asked for. She’s got her birth certificate, her social security card, her court orders. You have one fucking job: pull up her info page, erase ‘Henry’ and type in ‘Hanji.’ Hell, you don’t even have to change the ‘H.’ _How fucking difficult is it to type four goddamn letters_?!” He leveled a sharp stare at the woman until she harrumphed and turned to her computer. Levi rolled his eyes and slammed his paperwork down on the counter, “These are for Professor Brzenska.” He turned around and stalked out of the administration building. Levi didn't make it very far before he heard an exited whoop behind him and felt a heavy weight drape over his shoulders.

“Hey, thanks for back there. I like you!” Levi turned his head to see the brunette woman from earlier hanging off of him with a wide grin stretched over her face.

“What the hell? Stop touching me, you shitty four-eyes.”

She just smiled wider, “I can tell we’re going to be good friends.”

~~~~~

The start of Levi's junior year found him sprawled on Hanji's couch with his eyes closed as Hanji combed her fingers through his hair.

"I have _got_ to get my own apartment," he grumbled.

She chuckled, "Oh, come on. The dorms can't be that bad."

He snapped his eyes open, frowning up at her, "I'd like to remind you that I came to _your_ apartment of my own volition."

"Point taken. So, what's the problem? Roommate this year a slob?"

He sighed, "Worse. He's a _fanboy_." Levi grimaced, as if the word had an unpleasant taste.

She raised an eyebrow, "A fanboy? A fanboy of what?"

" _Me_."

There was a beat of silence before Hanji suddenly convulsed in uncontrollable laughter. Levi sat up and pounded her on the back, "Oi! Stop laughing, you four-eyed lunatic!"

"Sorry, sorry..." Hanji straightened, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. "So, what set all this off?"

"I don't _know._ " The look Levi shot her was almost pleading, "Mo transferred over to the science department, so he's in different dorms this year, and I got a freshman assigned to me to take his place. For some reason, the brat decided that I was the coolest thing ever. It's a nightmare; he dresses like me, he talks like me... I mean, what the hell? _I_ don't even want to be me half the time. There is something seriously fucking wrong with this kid." He sighed and closed his eyes again, letting his head fall against the back of the couch, "He bites his tongue when he talks, too. Fucking gross."

Hanji patted his head, "Aw, there, there." Levi cracked open one eye to give her an icy glare that would have sent anyone else running. Naturally, it had absolutely no effect on her. "Why don't you get your own place then? It always amazed me you could put up living in the dorms anyway, what with your germaphobia."

"I'm not afraid of germs; I just like things to be clean. And I can't afford it."

"Couldn't you ask your parents for money?"

He shook his head, "No fucking way."

"They wouldn't go for it, huh."

"No, they would. That's the problem. The Smiths have already done too much for me, and I don't want to be a freeloader." He stared up at Hanji's ceiling. "I need a job."

"Hm..." Hanji tapped a finger against her glasses, thinking. "What about cleaning?"

"Cleaning?"

"Yeah! You like it, you're good at it, and people are always looking for a maid to clean their house or offices. I could help you with marketing; making ads for the local papers and online. You could even get a lot of business at colleges, too. Frat houses are always throwing parties and stuff and needing to clean up after them."

"Cleaning, huh..." Levi thought for a moment. "You know, sometimes your ideas are not entirely shitty."

"Great! Now that that's settled, I have good news!" She grinned at him and grabbed his wrist. "My stitches are healed! Tell me if they feel real."

"What the-! Fuck off!" Levi tried to pull his hand out of her grasp, "Get Moblit to do it!"

"No, that would corrupt the data; I need an unbiased opinion."

"I don't even know what a real one feels like!"

"Please, Levi..."

"I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH YOUR TITS, HANJI!!"

~~~~~

Time went on. Levi graduated with his MBA, and one of the happiest memories in his life was receiving his diploma in front of not only the Smiths, but his mom as well. Probably the only happier memory he had was the day Erwin and Marie got married.

"Jesus Christ, Erwin, you're twenty-five. You should know how to tie a fucking bow-tie." Levi grunted as he fixed the mess the blond had made of the strip of cloth around his neck. "There. Shouldn't your best man be the one doing this?"

Erwin straightened, checking Levi's handiwork in the mirror, "Mike's helping the photographer get set up. Besides, you're in the wedding party, too."

"Don't remind me. I'm going to look ridiculous next to you lumbering giants."

Erwin laughed, "It's hardly my fault you're so short, Levi."

"I am not short; you and Mike are both freakishly tall. And don't forget, I can _still_ kick your ass, Mr. Only-made-it-to-2nd-dan."

"You are going to rub that 5th-dan in my face until the day I die, aren't you?"

Mike stuck his head around the door, "Erwin, they're ready for you in the chapel."

"Right." He took a deep breath, "Well, I guess this is it."

Levi slapped him on the shoulder and grinned up at him, "Get moving, dumbass. Don't keep your bride waiting."

~~~~~

Levi had to give a speech at the reception. He stood up, once Mike and the parents of the bride and groom were done.

"I hate speeches, so I'm going to keep this short. First, I would like to offer my congratulations to Erwin and my condolences to Marie. Marie, I know he's an idiot with a terrible sense of humor, but please do your best to look after him, because he was also the best brother I could have asked for, even when I was a moody little shit that didn't deserve it.

Erwin, I don't think I need to tell you how lucky you are to have found someone as kind and caring as Marie to love you. So treasure her and cherish her every day you have together. If you break her heart, I swear to God, I really will kick your ass this time."

~~~~~

All in all, life was going better for Levi than he had ever had any hope that it would. Erwin had moved on from being an editor at a publishing company to opening up one of his own. He had a talent for picking out promising new authors, and he had an eye on one in particular, a college kid that had already published a couple of novellas. Levi, meanwhile, had his own company to run. Thanks in part to a small loan from Erwin, he'd expanded the cleaning service he'd started in college, getting office space and hiring on a few part-timers from the University: namely, his old dormmate, Oluo, and Oluo's friends Erd, Gunter, and Petra. He had his family, a small circle of friends, and a place he could call his own. He was perfectly content with his life as it was. 

But time goes on, and nothing stays the same forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, finally done with Levi's backstory.
> 
> Next chapter, the 104th kids will start trickling in.


	3. The New Blood

"Don't worry about it so much."

 _"I just feel really bad about it, Levi. I feel like I'm abandoning you."_ Even through the phone, Levi could hear the genuine concern in Petra's voice. He smiled a little to himself as he made his way down the sidewalk.

"You know you're not supposed to keep the shitty job you got in college forever, right? I already got a couple part-timers to replace Erd and Gunter; I'm sure they know a few other broke-ass kids looking for a job. And I've still got you for another month to help train them." Levi stepped around a dingy grey puddle on the sidewalk and glanced warily up at the equally dingy grey sky, hoping he could make it to the office before it started raining again.

 _"Yeah."_ Petra's voice sounded a bit brighter.

"Goddamn tall people, think they own the sidewalk," Levi grumbled to himself as he jostled his way past a knot of commuters waiting for a bus. He heard Petra softly giggle on the other end of the line. "Hey, Petra?"

_"Yes?"_

"You'll make a good teacher."

A beat of silence, followed by a warm voice, _"Thanks. I'll see you at work."_

"Alright. Oh, and tell Oluo if I don't figure out what sort of demon voodoo he used on the books, I _will_ show up at his house and forcibly remove his tongue through his asshole."

_"I think it's called 'accounting,' Levi. You should try it some time."_

"Tch. Why bother, when I can pay someone else to do it for me? See you later."

_"Bye."_

Levi ended the call and slid his cellphone back into his pocket. He started to round the corner of the block his office was on when he came face to face with a blue-uniformed police officer confronting a girl. He stopped, his eyes narrowing as he quickly assessed the situation.

The girl was a small, blue-eyed blonde with delicate features. She looked young, but with her petite build she might have been older than she seemed; hell, a lot of people still took Levi for a teenager at first glance, and he was twenty-seven. She was pretty enough, he supposed, if you were into that sort of thing, but it was her eyes that made him pause.

There was fear in them, but that was only to be expected with the much larger male cop looming over her. No, what caught Levi's attention was something deeper, an underlying emotion that almost looked like desperation. Most people wouldn't have noticed it, but he'd seen that same look on too many other kids' faces in the foster system. Hell, he'd probably had that look himself. He stepped forward.

"Now, then, Miss...Christa, did you say? Why don't you tell me what you're really doing here?"

"I-I told you, I'm waiting for someone..." The girl tightened her hands around the strap of the dirty backpack she carried slung over her shoulder.

"And just what would this someone's name happen to be?"

"It's...it's..."

"Christa!" Levi stopped next to the girl, repeating the name he'd overheard and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Fucking hell, I told you I was going to pick you up at the train station. Do you know how fucking worried I was when you weren't there?"

"O-oh... I'm sorry; I wanted to try to surprise you..." Levi had to give the kid credit; she caught on fast.

The cop blinked in surprise, "Mr. Smith, you know this young lady?"

Levi eyed him up and down. He looked vaguely familiar; he was one of the cops that regularly patrolled this area so he was at least slightly acquainted with the local business owners. "She's my cousin," he answered curtly.

"Oh, right. Sorry to detain you; we've had a rash of vagrants over the summer, and the brass has been coming down on us to keep them out of the business areas."

"The rich old snobs have been bitching, you mean," Levi snorted. "Come on, Christa. Let's get inside before it rains." He gently steered her by the elbow and into his building. He dropped her arm as soon as they were safely inside. She hesitated by the entry while Levi pushed the button for the elevator. When it arrived, he stepped in and looked over at the girl, "You coming up or not?"

She jumped a little, her eyes flicking between him and the glass door that led from the lobby to the street. The rain that had been threatening all morning had started coming down, and the cop could still be seen walking on the other side of the street. That seemed to decide her, and she scooted past Levi and into the elevator, pressing herself into the corner farthest from him.

He raised his eyebrow at her, "Listen, kid, unless you're hiding a surprise under that skirt, you've got nothing I'm interested in. Relax."

She blushed and looked down, "Sorry." She looked back up, "Why'd you help me back there?"

He shrugged as the bell dinged for his floor. Christa followed him out, and he pulled out his keys to unlock the door to his offices. He glanced over at her, "Let's just say you remind me of someone I used to know." He flicked on the lights, revealing a small reception area with a desk facing two chairs. A couch sat along the wall near the door, a coffee table scattered with a few magazines in front of it. The corner held a water cooler and a coffee pot. Levi walked past all that, going through a short hallway behind the reception desk that led to the small employee locker room.

He pointed Christa to a door in the far wall, "There's a shower in there if you want to get cleaned up. No one else will be in for another half-hour, and the door locks on the inside. My office is through that door." He pointed it out. "Come in when you're finished."

She nodded and scampered off. Levi went into his office and dialed Petra back.

"Hey, Petra? Pick up an extra breakfast on your way in. I seem to have acquired a stray."

~~~~~

It wasn't the most orthodox way of hiring a receptionist to replace Petra, Levi would have to admit. He figured he must be getting soft as he got older, but he could tell the girl was running from something. Or, more likely, someone. He didn't pry. He did make her tell him her real name, Historia Reiss, with the promise that as far as anyone outside his office was concerned, she was Christa Lenz. He was relieved to find out she was eighteen; the last thing he needed was to have the FBI or some shit on his ass for harboring a run-away minor.

There was a slight question at first of where she would stay. That problem was happily solved when Ymir came in. Levi had Petra send her into his office.

The tall brunette crossed her arms and stared down at Levi after sending a brief glance over at Christa, "What'd ya want, Short-ass? I've got to train the new meat today, so I don't have much time."

Levi shot her a glare for the height comment, but, unfortunately, Ymir seemed to share Hanji's immunity to them. "I remember overhearing you bitching about one of your roommates not coming back to college this year. You still have a vacancy?"

"Yeah, why? Your landlord kicking you out?"

"It's not for me, dumbass." He gestured over at the blonde that was fidgeting nervously in the chair in front of his desk, "Ymir, this is Christa. You might not have heard yet, but Petra's leaving next month; Christa will be the new receptionist. Christa, this is Ymir, one of the housekeepers." The two nodded at each other. A corner of Levi's mind noted that Ymir dropped her usual attitude of minor irritation and actually smiled at the smaller woman. He turned back to Ymir, "Christa just moved to the area and hasn't found a place to stay yet. I have a spare room, but I imagine she'd be more comfortable with a group of girls close to her age."

Ymir nodded, "Yeah, sure." She faced Christa, "I get off work today at five; maybe we could get something to eat and...talk about it?"

Christa smiled back, "Sure. I'd like that."

"Cool!" Ymir actually grinned before she left the office.

Well, that was interesting.

~~~~~

Ymir was one of a batch of three new part-time college kids Levi had hired last winter shortly after Oluo had quit. Her to replace the departing team member, and the other two, Jean and Reiner, to handle a new influx of clients. His two newest hires had actually been recommended by the two men, which was precisely why it was _Ymir_ that was training them.

Bertholt was a tall and seemingly perpetually sweaty young man (which always made Levi feel slightly uncomfortable around him). However, he was quiet, he learned fast, and he followed orders well. It wasn't very long before he was given the go ahead to work on his own.

 _Eren_ on the other hand...

"Christ, Eren. You don't leave a door standing wide open when the people have pets."

"Lay off, Ymir. I got the cat out of the tree, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but now your arms look like you got in a fight with a paper shredder."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Hidalgo."

"Knock it off with the horse names already!"

Levi could feel a migraine headache coming on.

He stuck his head out of his door, and the three gathered around the lockers immediately shut up. Good. "Eren. Office. Now."

He shut the door and sat back down. A moment later, Eren sheepishly shuffled in, trying to hide the angry red scratches that covered his arms. He stood in front of Levi's desk with his head down, his unruly brown hair hanging in front of his eyes. Levi wondered, not for the first time, if he ever bothered to comb it. He gestured at the other chair, "Sit down. I don't feel like straining my neck just to talk to you."

"Yes, sir."

After he sat down, Levi stared at him, drumming his fingers against the surface of his desk. Finally, Eren looked up, his green eyes questioning. Without preamble, Levi asked, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What? I don't..." Eren stopped, chewing on his lower lip.

Levi leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. "It's been six weeks, Eren, and you're still making rookie mistakes. What the fuck is the point of hiring you if I _still_ can't send you out on jobs without a baby-sitter?"

Levi watched Eren's eyes in amusement as fear at losing his job warred with a flash of anger at the baby-sitter comment. The kid was an open book, and Levi could clearly see the moment the fear won out, just before Eren slumped in his chair and uttered in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry, sir. I'll do better in my training, I promise. Just, please give me another chance to-"

"Oh, you'll do better in your training alright. Because from now on, you're not training with Ymir anymore." Levi leaned forward, his eyes narrowing into cold, hard slits, "You'll be training with _me._ "

Eren swallowed convulsively while all the color drained from his face.

Levi allowed his lips to curl up in a small smirk.

_'It's time to see whether you'll fly or fall flat on your face, kid.'_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've actually had the background for Christa in my head since I started "If It's Love."


	4. Boot Camp

Eren couldn't remember dying, but he must have.

Because surely this was hell.

He’d shown up on his next scheduled day only to find Levi already waiting for him. The man had eschewed his usual suit for the uniform the housekeepers wore: khaki pants, dark green polo, and a brown apron around his hips. He’d also pulled his hair away from his face and covered it with a plain white bandanna, and Eren would have laughed if his stomach hadn’t been so tied up in knots from nerves that he felt like he’d throw up if he opened his mouth.

The long, silent car ride to the client’s apartment didn’t help matters.

When they’d gotten there, Levi had told him to start cleaning, saying he wanted to see if he’d managed to learn _anything_ from Ymir. Eren had barely started when Levi’s sharp voice interrupted him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Eren looked at the broom in his hands and then up at Levi. "Sweeping?"

"I can see that. Why are you doing it _now_?" Levi frowned and crossed his arms. The action caused his biceps to strain against the short sleeves of his uniform, which Eren found to be unfairly distracting.

"Uh..." he responded intelligently.

Levi let out a heavy sigh. "Eren. You haven't dusted yet. If you sweep now, you'll just have to do it again later. Clean from the top down, ceiling to floor."

"Oh. So what should I do first?" Eren relaxed a little. Levi’s tone was as harsh as always, but at least he was explaining _why_ things should be done a certain way. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

"Start with the fans and light fixtures in here; I'll get the drapes. And hurry up. I'd like to finish before I'm eligible for Social Security."

Eren grinned. "So I don't have much time, then."

"Shut the fuck up and get to work, smart-ass."

~~~~~

It was bad. It was so, _so_ bad. Everything he cleaned, Levi would inspect, and if it didn’t meet his standards, Eren would be made to do it _again_. By the time Levi finally pronounced himself satisfied and drove them back to the headquarters, Eren ached in muscles that he didn’t even know he _had_. He groaned and collapsed face-first onto the bench in front of the lockers while Levi disappeared into his office. While he was lying there, he heard the door to the bathroom open.

"What happened to you?"

"Maid boot camp." Eren turned his head and looked blearily up at Jean. The other man looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower. He'd also changed out of his uniform and into nice clothes, which for Jean meant 'something besides faded jeans and a band t-shirt.' Eren blinked. "What're you so dressed up for?"

Jean raised an eyebrow at him as he put his things away in his locker. "Well, you see, there's this thing that normal people do called 'dating.' You should try it some time."

"Bite me, Flicka." Eren levered himself up to face the lockers and Jean, letting out a hiss and grabbing his shoulder as he did. "Holy fuck, I think my arm's gonna fall off."

"Rough day, huh?"

"You have _no_ idea. If I left even one streak on a window, I had to re-wash the whole thing. I had to scrub the bathtub out _four_ times. He made me clean the underside of the tables. Who the hell even looks there? I swear, it's like he has OCD or something." While he was ranting, Eren failed to notice Jean's eyes going wide and staring at a point behind his shoulder.

"Maybe that's because I _do_ have OCD. Or something." At the sound of the voice behind him, Eren whipped his head around to meet Levi's unimpressed stare. As he looked up, caught in Levi's eyes like a mouse frozen under a snake's gaze, he half-heard Jean make some excuse about needing to leave just before he bolted out the door.

Eren swallowed heavily and tried to stammer out an apology, "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean-"

Levi cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand. "Stop shitting yourself. Trust me, I've heard worse; if I were really angry, you'd know. Now go ahead and get home. I'll see you Thursday afternoon."

"Yes, sir." Not needing to be told twice, Eren grabbed his things and fled the room, breathing a sigh of relief when the elevator doors closed behind him.

~~~~~

Thursday was a repeat of Monday, and the week after that went much the same. Eren would be so tired when he got back to the dorms that he wouldn't have the energy to do more than grunt at Armin before he was falling into his bed. The next week, Eren realized that he wasn't having to repeat tasks as often, and he actually felt almost human at the end of the work day. On the third week, Levi finally approved everything he did the first time through. Wednesday night, Eren stayed up a little later than usual, studying, and he fell asleep actually looking forward to going to work Thursday afternoon and proving to Levi that it hadn't been a fluke.

And then he was rudely awoken at 3 am by shouting coming from the hallway.

“I can’t take this anymore, Jean! It’s like we don’t have anything in common except sex!”

There was a muffled reply, too indistinct for Eren to make out. He groaned and buried his head under his pillow.

_‘Fuck me. What the hell did I do in a previous life that was so bad I get punished by having to live across the hall from Jean “Break-up King” Kirschstein?’_

He tried to block out the sounds, but after three minutes with the voice getting progressively louder and more hysterical, Eren finally got out of bed with a snarl and stalked over to the door.

Armin was also sitting up, and as Eren reached for the doorknob, he called out, “Eren, no…”

“Eren, YES.” He yanked open the door to be greeted with the sight of a sobbing blond man standing in front of Jean. Eren vaguely recognized him as one of the drama students, Thomas. Jean, for his part, looked absolutely _mortified_ , his face buried in his hand. Connie was standing in their room behind Jean, and when he met Eren’s eyes, he shot him a look that said, plain as day, ‘Save me.’

“Calm down. You’re waking up the whole floor,” Jean muttered without moving his hand away. Indeed, there were doors opening up and down the hall, the faces looking out wearing expressions ranging from morbid curiosity to apoplectic rage. Eren was leaning more toward the latter.

“I will _not_ calm down! You are going to listen to everything I have to say, and- _Oof_!” The rest of Thomas’s sentence was abruptly cut off in a rush of expelled air as Eren twisted his arm up behind his back and slammed him chest first into the wall.

“Listen,” he hissed in the blond’s ear, “I don’t give a fuck about what’s going on between you two, but what I do give a fuck about is the Calculus test that’s worth twenty percent of my grade that I have to take in less than six hours. So, are you gonna leave and talk about this shit after the sun comes up like normal people, or do I have to _throw you out the goddamned window_?!”

Thomas left.

~~~~~

Somehow, Eren made it through the test. He couldn't stop yawning, and he had to forcibly drag his wandering attention back kicking and screaming to the task at hand several times, but he did it.

He swore if he got less than a C, he was going to track Thomas down and kill him.

He was tempted to do that anyway, just for the principle of the thing.

At least Eren only had one other class on Thursdays, but when it was over and the bell rang, he could only feel a creeping sense of dread.

Work today was going to _suck_.


End file.
